Noted Professor Receives Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law

Dr. Peter Aucoin will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law during Saint Mary’s University’s spring convocation May 20.

Dr. Peter Aucoin, a distinguished educator, received an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law at Saint Mary’s University’s spring convocation ceremony on the afternoon of May 20 at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Honorary doctoral degrees were also presented to Sarah Dennis, Hon. Helen Gillis, Leica Hardy, Dr. Donald Savoie and Paul D. Sobey.

Dr. Aucoin is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Public Administration, Dalhousie University. Until his retirement in 2009, he was Eric Dennis Memorial Professor of Government and Political Science and Professor of Public Administration. A leading scholar of public management and government for almost 4 decades, he has served in an advisory capacity at all levels of government in Canada.

Born and raised in Halifax, he received his high school education at Saint Mary’s University High School and his university education at Saint Mary's (BA), Dalhousie (MA) and Queen's (PhD).

He was appointed to the faculty at Dalhousie University in 1970, became a full professor in 1979, and went on to serve as Director of the School of Public Administration from 1985 to 1990 and Chair of the Department of Political Science from 1992 to 1995.

On secondments from Dalhousie, Aucoin held a variety of government postings including Research Coordinator for the federal Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada in 1985-86 and Research Director for the federal Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing in 1990-91. He has been the lead government expert witness for several constitutional cases dealing with election and referendum law.

A prolific writer, his scholarly work is cited extensively in Canadian and international publications. He has authored and edited fifteen books, and authored over eighty articles and book chapters and served on the Editorial Boards of numerous Canadian and international journals. His 1995 book, The New Public Management: Canada in Comparative Perspective was awarded the international Charles Levine Book Prize as the best book in comparative public policy and administration.

In 2007 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian award. Earlier honours include being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2006, receiving the prestigious Governor General Vanier Medal for Exceptional Achievement in Public Administration in 2005 and the Dalhousie University Alumni Association Award for Teaching Excellence in 2006.

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